Chelsea exit threatens after disappointing year and possible salary cut

‘Several players’ want to leave Chelsea this summer, it is reported The Athletic. According to the British medium, there are also players who still have a multi-year contract in London. Several purchases would also regret having signed ‘such long-term commitments’ at Stamford Bridge. A number of them are said to be ‘disillusioned’ after the first months at Chelsea.

The Blues are in the corner this season where the blows fall. Thomas Tuchel was sacked at the beginning of September and replaced by Graham Potter, who was unable to bend the team to his will. The 47-year-old coach, who came over from Brighton & Hove Albion, managed to win just twelve times in 31 games as manager of Chelsea. Eleven matches were also lost, while eight were drawn. Owner Todd Boehly had seen enough by early April and also fired Potter.

More: Nothing is spared Chelsea and Lampard: end of season for driving force | Chelsea is close to the arrival of a new manager after ‘good talks’

Interim manager Frank Lampard is still waiting for his first victory five games after his arrival the Blues and has therefore not yet started the way up in the Premier League. Chelsea is in eleventh place, which means that it will almost certainly be next to European football. The Athletic knows to report that the players who have signed a (new) contract under Boehly’s rule will have to hand in no less than thirty percent salary if the team does not qualify for the Champions League.

Players who signed a contract before the new owner took over are surprisingly exempt from the pay cut. This would also include Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling, although they were brought in by Boehly. The Athletic expects a large number of players to leave this summer at the Londoners, partly because the current selection (32 players) is seen as too large by various people within the club. Meanwhile, the club management is busy with the appointment of a permanent manager. It seems only a matter of time before Mauricio Pochettino signs a contract at Stamford Bridge.